"Shipmaster, the humans hail us again", Set's officer announced. He was growing sick of these small talks, these meaningless discussions. He had to demand to work up the ladder of command, a process that disgusted him. He had to get the Spartan here.

He stood upright, "Project them", he told the officer.

Soon enough, before him was the hologram of the same female officer from the past encounters. "Get me through to Admiral Hood", he said.

The female looked annoyed. "As of now, I am the point of contact between the Sangheili and Admiral Hood, Shipmaster", she told him for what had to be the third or fourth time. He was steadily losing his patience.

"I do not care. I refuse for these discussions to be put off any longer", he said with finality. Soon, Gabriel should be here at the bridge. Forerunners knew what those two were doing. It made him feel odd knowing how close she had grown on the human. He knew her to always keep her distance. Especially from males. And the amount of times he had smelled the human on her made him sick. He swallowed the words he wanted to say. If it could better his people, he would allow it. For now, at least.

The woman huffed over the hologram. "Admiral Hood requests for Spartan B-312 to be returned to the UNSC", she informed him again. Set was growing very weary of these demands.

"I will say it again; Spartan B-312 has the choice to go when he wishes to", he defended his ally.

He leveled his eyes, "If he so chooses to remain on my ship, which he has, mind you, then he shall stay. He is not baggage to be thrown around at your convenience", he said sharply.

The Captain arched her eyebrows, "And you chose not to inform us of this because?", she left the answer to hang.

"In the ongoing negotiations, I deemed it unnecessary and pointless. As of now, they still are in my eyes", he informed her with a sharp edge. He saw her eyes drift past his own and over his shoulder.

Behind him, the very human he needed at the moment made his presence known. "Spartan; Captain Keyes has inquired whether you wish to remain here, or return to the UNSC for resupply and reassignment", he informed the Spartan.

Set saw the human pause, they both knew the Spartan owed a life debt. He also knew the human had been reading up on their culture, so surely he would have read about life debts. More than that, the Shipmaster was worried by how his Daughter shuffled her feet slightly. What is going on here? It couldn't be… could it? He thought in alarm before shutting those thoughts off. It wouldn't do to lose composure at such a tipping point.

The human centered himself on the projection, "Ma'am, with all due respect, I would like to be assigned as the formal ambassador between the UNSC and the Sangheili", he told her.

She seemed to be taken aback, "That's above my pay grade, Spartan. I'll send it up to Admiral Hood, in the meantime, your presence is requested on Cairo station, or, what remains of it", she told him.

Through the glass, he eyed the station. It was nearly unserviceable. The time to repair the mega-structure would take years. A thought came to mind, he could've sworn Captain Keyes was the commander of In Amber Clad.

He decided to ask: "Ma'am, I was under the impression you were the commander of In Amber Clad, I don't see your ship", he asked.

She raised an arm, and he realized her uniform was nearly halfway covered in bandages, "Injured. ONI sent an egghead to commandeer my ship. It's chasing the Prophet of Regret through slipspace right now. You've been out of the fight for too long, Spartan", she told him.

He knew it to be true. In humanity's darkest hour, he wasn't fighting. Six took comfort in the fact that he did help in the defense of Earth; by coming in with more than twenty allied Sangheili ships, he hoped it had made a difference.

He cleared his throat, "Understood Ma'am. I'll board for repairs, but I do wish to remain here, on Brand of the Faithful" he told her. Gabriel did not want to leave. He was the last of Noble Team, and he sorely wanted to get away from the Lone Wolf style missions. Some still haunted his dreams in the dead of night.

"Clear, Spartan. You're welcome to board any time. Go through Bravo point; it is the least damaged bay", she told him and with that, she had signed off. The Shipmaster grunted in displeasure at the clear dismissal.

Set slowly turned towards the Spartan, "That woman tests my ire", he told him.

Nodding, he agreed. "She can be testy at times, Shipmaster".

Braxi was looking at him, her face guarded. He knew it would upset her boat, as it did his own. Gabriel looked towards the Shipmaster, "Is there anything else, Shipmaster?", he asked before setting off.

Set moved his head, deep in thought. "No, I have much to think about. And I hope the next human will be as easily spoken as you are. That female likes to parade her words like a maze", he said in clear distaste.

He nudged Braxi in the ribs lightly, which she growled in response. Anger bubbled in her, and she hated to admit it, but she didn't want the human to leave.

"We'll talk in the quarters, alright?", he said.

She nodded and walked forward, wanting to get out of the sight of so many Sangheili. She strode quickly, at a pace Six struggled to keep up without jogging. He eyed her movements, she was definitely agitated, he decided.

Inside, she rounded on him. "Are you leaving?", she demanded. Her body was tense, and she felt shame at the obvious display of disapproval of his departure.

B-312 nodded, "It will only be for a little bit, I'll get new armor, be briefed on being an ambassador, and I'll be right back here quickly", he tried to persuade her. It didn't work well.

She shook her head, "And if you have another episode? I doubt a human would survive the strike you gave me the first time", she argued.

His temper flared, he disliked her using that against him. "It won't happen again. It will only be temporary, two days at most", he told her.

She crossed her arms. "I vowed to protect you day and night", she countered, "How can I do so from a different ship?".

He was growing fed up, usually patient, he was unused to personal confrontations. "What, do you want to come with me? Is that it?", he asked patronizingly.

She reared her head, "Do not demean me, Gabriel", she spoke threateningly.

He paused for a moment, Does she actually want to come? Does it mean that much? He thought to himself then he began sporting a shit-eatin grin.

"You can come, you know. If you want. I could work something out", he told her. Her guard fell. She disliked how easily he shifted her mood. "I would… I would prefer that", she said slowly.

"Then that's that. You'll come with me as a guard", he said. He smiled at her. Secretly, he was glad she would be coming with him. She was dead on with the thought process, he would hate to have an episode again, and injure an ally.

Seeing his smile, she returned it with her own. Happy it was settled, she walked towards the corner of the table where he stood. She wrapped her arms around the smaller frame. Six didn't hesitate. He placed his helmet on the table, rested his head on her chest and wrapped his arms around her. Braxi wrapped her long neck around his own, placing her head on his right shoulder. She began to purr, and the noise vibrated against his neck. He didn't realize how much he didn't want to leave.

The portal opened suddenly, and the two sprang apart. Before them, the Shipmaster halted. His eyes were twin slits.

"What is the meaning of this, Braxi? I send you as a guard, and here you are embracing him?", he said accusingly, as if she were still a child.

Six inched backwards, not wanting to be caught up in the cross-fire.

Quick on the uptake, Braxi shot to her point."I am a warrior. I choose who I can embrace and who I won't", she said defiantly.

The Shipmaster bared his teeth, "With a Sangheili, I would understand. Not a Spartan", he said.

She spread her own jaw apart. "He is one of the best warriors in the galaxy. I don't care if he is human", she defended her companion.

"Do you know of the trouble that would spread if word got to the rest of the fleet?", he said.

"You are the one who spoke of bettering our relationship with the humans", she told her Father. She was thrown off how he cared more about how the fleet would react rather than the fact she was being intimate with the human.

"Do not use my words against me, you and I both knew what I meant" he said with anger.

Six kept himself behind her, trying to make himself disappear. He had no idea what to do, and he felt as if the argument had no real direction.

Six coughed, and both eyes went to him. "I mean, it would help the UNSC to give more in future talks…", he told the Shipmaster. Whose eyes became slitted.

"I will do many things to ensure the future of my people. But I refuse to sell my Daughter to any human or Sangheili!", he roared the last sentence.

Braxi spread her arms open, "Father, it is nothing like you think… he and I are friends", she said the alien word with slight hesitation. And her Father looked at her askance.

"Friends do not stay day and night together, nor do they embrace each other", he said flatly.

Braxi nearly laughed, "You assigned me to watch him day and night, Father", she said in a flat tone.

"I did, yes. I did not intend for it to go… " he gestured at the pair with his hands, argument lost. Set knew he was hot-headed at times, and he sometimes forgot his commands had unseen consequences.

Then the Shipmaster sighed, he looked at Six. "I know these games. I tell you I know, it is not a matter of skill, or of strength. Many Sangheili still hold hate in their hearts for humans, still. If this got out to the public, even friendship, nevermind courtship…. The results could be disastrous. 'Rodamee as a family name would be shunned", he told the pair.

He raised his head, "It makes me… uncomfortable to say the least. I could look past it, however, the danger it poses is too great", he informed them.

"I forbid this", he decreed.

Six felt his heart sink to his feet. He looked towards Braxi. She had her mandibles clenched.

"Father. I do not care. I have never cared. I wasn't supposed to even be a warrior, much less a Zealot. Even more so to lead my own team. If I choose him, I choose him. It is my right", she rebuked.

"And you are my Daughter, you are to listen to me", he argued, the two Sangheili ideas clashing. One of the traditions that followed the warrior's right to choose their path, and the custom of obeying your parents. Set was growing more and more weary by the moment. Why couldn't he have normal children? They are no longer children… none of them. They have all spilt blood, in this unfair world, who knows when they could go? He thought to himself.

Defeated, he looked down. "Fine. I do not care. Do what you like. But do not let this get out of hand, Braxi".

Braxi nodded in satisfaction. "Yes Father", and with that, he was off. Leaving the two… companions alone. Gabriel looked towards her, he really did not want to voice his question 'What are we?' aloud. So he didn't. Instead he moved himself closer to the Sangheili woman.

"Hey, are you still going with me to the UNSC?", he asked her to get her mind off of things.

"Yes, of course", mid sentence, he engaged in their interrupted embrace again.

He mumbled, "I'm sorry, Braxi".

She rubbed her mandibles across the top of his furry head, it tickled her. "Don't worry. Father would never deny me", she said confidently.

Letting go, he walked towards their sleeping chambers. "Let's get ready then. I know for damn sure the UNSC would not like to see us together. Here's hoping my hard work will pay off" he said. Side by side, the two warriors in unlikely situations, began to dress in their respective armors. One, crimson with a large headpiece, flared on the top. The other, azure armor.

Braxi finished before him, and he took his time making sure his armor was on correctly, doing various checks. Once done, he strode forward and nudged Braxi with his arm. She rotated herself, and with him slightly ahead, they walked out towards the bay.

They walked towards the readied Phantom, he hadn't actually arranged any sort of meeting with anyone on Cairo Station, but he felt it was best to get himself and Braxi away from the tension, if only temporarily. Although… tensions would probably increase aboard the human vessel, he admitted to himself. Letting the Zealot lead the preparations with the pilot, Six busied himself with looking over his datapad. He brought the comms channel up to his HUD. He connected directly with Captain Keyes.

Hearing the beep, he announced himself. "Ma'am, this is Spartan B-312. Requesting to port in a Phantom at Dock B. I have an Elite bodyguard with me too, she will be no issue", he added.

The pause alarmed him, "Did you say female?", Keyes asked him in a confused tone.

He nodded, knowing she wouldn't be able to see it. "Affirmative, the Shipmaster has made her my retainer. She is his own Daughter, Ma'am", he told her a little of the situation.

Keyes held herself rigid, "We will discuss more when you get here. You are clear to land, Spartan", she told him professionally.

"Roger, Ma'am. We are set to go in a few minutes, ETA twenty", he took a general guess.

At the end of his sentence, the channel went dead, the dull noise of the empty channel brought him back to Reach for a moment. He threw the thought off his mind like a dog does water. It wouldn't do to be distracted.

"We're good to go, direct the pilot where he needs to go, and he'll get us there", Braxi held her top half out of the Phantom's bay doors.

He nodded and climbed in beside her. It was more spacious on the inside than most other Phantoms he had seen. Not many, but a handful. He felt a slight jerk as the Phantom's engines picked them off the floor. Turning slowly, the pilot angled the purple craft towards the opening, and with a smooth take off, they were in the vacuum of space.

The bay doors closed, he had no way to tell how far they were, so he made his way into the pilot's cockpit. Steering the craft, the pilot didn't look towards the Spartan. "Spartan", he greeted him.

He nodded to the Elite. Quickly noting it wore the crimson of the Zealots. Eyeing their approach, Six began feeling small doses of anxiety spike. He brushed the thoughts aside. He had to focus.

"We are making our final approach", the pilot announced the obvious.

Moving back to the bay, Braxi stood with her datapad in one hand. Curiosity taking hold he asked a question in English. "Do you speak any human languages?"he asked, not expecting an answer.

She looked up, "A little bit", she replied. Braxi had a slight accent, but what made her voice different was the deep smoothness of it. It was rumbly like a males, but it was certainly a low tone. She almost reminded him of a few female Marines he had heard on the field.

"It'll come in handy, if you don't understand anything, I'll teach you", he told her.

She smiled, "I know a good bit, I'll have you know. You aren't the only one that made their business doing behind lone jobs", she told him smugly.

He had to admit, she did speak it well. It made him happy that she already knew English. It made her feel less alien… even though she was extraterrestrial.

The pilot turned his head towards them, "We are in the bay now, the doors will open in one moment", he told the pair.

With their conversation ended, both awaited the doors. What greeted them had him on guard. Before them, several ONI officers and Admiral Hood himself. Behind them, someone he had never seen before took stock of him, even as he did the same. He was wearing a suit, grey and his rank marked him as an Admiral. Six felt himself stand slightly straighter. He knew the things they would do if they could study a Sangheili, especially if it spoke a human language.

Stepping off the Phantom, Braxi followed shortly behind him. Six nodded towards the largest one in the room. Admiral Hood dominated the room with his presence. This was the leader of the UNSC, the man who had saved the human race.

"Sir, Spartan B-312 reporting for reassignment, Sir", he rendered a crisp salute.

It was returned in a similar fashion. "Relax. Spartan, we have many things to talk about. Come on, we need to get to the conference room", he turned and the entourage followed. Including Six and his guard.

The entire time, Braxi scanned the human ship. How different the grey steel was compared to the purple nanolaminate her own ships were made of. She felt human eyes pinned on her, she was easily the tallest one on board. She knew the sentiment all too well.

Reaching the room, everyone took their seats. Except for her, she positioned herself behind her Spartan. She kept her guard up and maintained the warrior dignity.

Admiral Hood spoke first. "We don't have much time. The Covenant Supercarrier dropped off thousands of troops before it jumped. You're going down there to reinforce the defenses and snuff out the last of them. Admittedly, the Elite navy you brought along did help, but we still have too many Covenant down there. One ship assaulted New Mombasa, and the Prophet of Regret found the artifact. He's found the way to the ring. Chief chased them down. They're fighting towards the Prophet now, as we speak", he said pausing for a breath. "We are yet to be updated. Now, mind telling me your story, Spartan?", he inquired.

Six took a breath. "Sir, after delivering the package, I stayed behind to ensure The Pillar of Autumn would get off the planet. Noble team is dead, I assume you know, Sir. Noble One, Two, Four and Five are KIA. Noble Three is MIA", he said.

"Tell me how you managed to escape a planet full of Covenant, both on ground and in orbit", he told the Spartan.

Gabriel sighed in his helmet. "I fought, Sir. I was cornered, and the Shipmaster decided I was better use if I was alive, so here I am".

"And what use would that be, Spartan?" Hood asked him.

Six didn't know the best answer, he was still uninformed as to why he was needed to fight the Flood; he was a single Spartan, deadly admittedly, but one man can only be stretched so far.

"I still don't know, sir. The Shipmaster seems to think he needs me for something. Hell, he didn't even lock me up. He put me into good quarters", Six told the Admiral.

Six saw the ONI officer's face flicker. He knows something. Six sighed, ONI knew everything about the Flood. Six knew they knew. The fact they were hesitant to share information annoyed him greatly, How will we survive the future if all we do is bicker and hide from each other?Six was going to respond before Braxi beat him. "The Flood can decimate entire fleets. Easily. It thinks, it strategizes. If it destroyed the Forerunners, it could easily destroy both humanity and the Sangheili. Father seems to believe the Spartan is the key to victory", she said.

Uncomfortable that the Sangheili knew English, Admiral Hood coughed. "We've seen what it is capable of in combat. I agree, a threat like that shouldn't be left to do whatever it so chooses, but I still do not see how a single Spartan could be the key", he said.

Braxi took in a breath, "If I knew Admiral, I would tell you. If the Spartan is allowed to bolster our forces, we in turn will fight with you. Now, and against the Flood. ", she told him. The Covenant had left their economy in shambles, Sangheilios was a planet that revolved around warfare, and having the support of the Unggoy cut underneath them had made them completely reliant on the Covenant. Now, they found their place. Braxi was hoping the demands were thought of as nearly fair. One soldier and a few hundred thousand workers for the entirety of a fifty ship Sangheili fleet. If humanity could supply the workers, the logistics, the Sangheili could fight against the Flood single mindedly, much like how they did against the humans.

"Then, we need an alliance", he said. And Braxi nodded, she had little authority, but she knew her Father's plans for their people. If it helped her people, he would approve.

"The Covenant remnants are being snuffed out as we speak. Few Sangheili are with the Covenant now. My Father's fleet numbers now more than fifty ships, half of which are here", she twisted the number a little bit. Truthfully, with the Sangheili severing themselves from the maltreatment of the Prophets, they were at the moment mostly united under one banner. With the presence of the Flood, they should be bound like they were in the Covenant.

Admiral Hood breathed in, "What are your demands?", he asked.

Gabriel took a back seat in the discussions, helping Braxi with odd wording or phrases she did not understand.

"We need workers. Not many right now, but we will trade a number of our warriors for an equal number of workers to begin with. A number of our ships need the extra hands, and we have an uneven number of warriors. We also need Spartan Gabriel", she told him.

Admiral Hood nodded and digested the request. In his mind, the population loyal to the UNSC and would actually abide by Sangheili culture was incredibly low, and the fact that the Sangheili were warriors worried him. And the fact they wanted the Spartan was odd and made his scalp tingle. The things they could learn if they had an interest in the Spartan program… Spartan Sangheili would be the death of us Admiral Hood thought to himself. If there was mistreatment among the workers by the larger, alien Sangheili, the alliance would quickly crumble. Both parties understood that much.

"There will be friction among the Sangheili and the human workers. I need full assurance that such instances will not come to pass, and if they do, heavy consequences on the offending party", he said in the first part of his plan.

He paused for a moment. "Furthermore, I need to know that your Sangheili soldiers will not disobey, and they will not cause disorder", he said the obvious.

"Of course. The Sangheili that we send will be under my direct command. They will obey me, and they will hold themselves to the level of dignity expected of them as Zealots. Punishment will not light", she promised.

Standing, Admiral Hood eyed the Sangheili ambassador. Shaking the much larger bipedal's hand, he made steady eye contact. "We will have to reconvene, there are many things I have to attend to. We will make the arrangements as soon as we can on our side. But for now, I pray our alliance lasts past the war to come. Peace would do us all well", he said and shook her far larger hand. Braxi nodded at him as he left.

The ONI Admiral approached Six as he stood. Instinctively, he tensed. Never had he been in ONI's good graces.

"Spartan, report to the ONI office. A new handler will be assigned", he told him and he turned to go.

Six squared his shoulders, "Sir, that isn't going to work", he told him in an icy tone.

The Admiral turned quickly. "Isn't going to work? Spartan, you have been on the backburner for far too long. Do not push your luck" the Admiral threatened.

Six grunted. "I'm done with my assignments. I have a new assignment. I'm done, Sir", he told him.

The Admiral turned red. "Done, Spartan? You are not 'done' until you die. Report to the office immediately", the Admiral spat out.

Braxi stepped forward, "Do not presume to threaten him in my presence, Worm. If he says he is done, he is done. He has no reason to listen to your petty requests", she defended her companion.

"This is a human matter, Elite. I suggest you back out now", he eyed the split-jaw out the corner of his eyes.

Gabriel had enough. "I'm going my own way now. Don't push me. We both know how that will work out", Six let the threat hang. He knew if it came down to it, he could tear ONI apart by the roots, much less a single unarmed officer. He was privy to too many secrets, and his raw combat prowess made him the strongest asset in the ONI arsenal, they wouldn't get rid of him easily.

Snarling, the smaller man pivoted and strode out of the room. He knew the way ONI was, they would exploit the Sangheili, and ruin their intertwined fates, he had to distance himself from them.

He sighed through his nose. Captain Keyes had told him to report to the armory for an upgrade. Afterwards, the arms room. Then a cramped ride down to Earth. Back into the fire…

Gabriel didn't speak a word, instead he intently left the room with Braxi quick behind him. Idle threats were not in his vocabulary, ONI had put him in the position to kill other humans. He wouldn't hesitate if another ONI dog leapt for his throat.

He was in a more isolated part of the ship when he felt Braxi's larger hand sit on his shoulder. "Stop, Gabriel", she said. He listened and faced her.

She eyed him through the helmet. "Breathe, idiot. I can nearly see you hyperventilate through your armor. Calm down", she said. Her hand was still on his shoulder.

He hadn't realized he was so wound up. The idea of combat revolved around his mind like a constrictor. And ONI always tested his patience, and with him being one of the last Spartans, he knew he was ever more valuable to them now. Only he and Chief had the designation of 'hyper lethal', and he knew that between himself and the Chief, he could infiltrate much better, better suited for ONI tasks. Although, in a straight fight, he was not confident he could beat the Chief. As a child, the Chief had backhanded a fucking missle. Who would do that? A live, mid-air missile?!

Satisfied his mind was calming down, Braxi let her hand fall away from the Spartan, letting it rest on his armored forearm. "Better?", she asked.

"Yeah, let's get to that armor, afterwards I'm set for the surface" he said to her easy agreement. Together, the two walked in the smaller human hallway. They passed ODST, some sporting plasma burnt armor, some brand new. Many Marines were there, and by how young they were, he knew most of the veterans had died down on the surface, fighting to protect their home with their lives. The need for him down there was urgent.

Six knew what war was, he was no stranger to death. He felt like a ghost here, while others fought miles below him, he was strutting through the safe station. Guilt stung his heart, the same thought pounding at the base of his skull. Gabriel shut the thoughts out, instead he focussed his hearing on the footfalls behind him, he took refuge in the fact that for the moment, he was not alone.

Six rounded the corner, and eyed the lettering that read ARMORY in capital, military standard lettering. Inside, a crusty Gunnery Sergeant sat behind a work table crowded by various bits of tech. Hearing the duo appear in the doorway to his armory, his jaw hit the ground. Before him stood an Elite. He had never seen one before, only ever in televised propaganda or posters. He would've shit himself if there wasn't a Spartan there beside it.

He cleared his throat, trying to regain his lost dignity. "How can I help you today Spartan? Looking for that new MJOLNIR?", he asked. The Sergeant already knew the answer.

Six nodded, "Yes, I was told to come pick it up. Is it ready?", he inquired.

"Yeah, all that needs doing is puttin' er on, then some diagnostics. Whole thing shouldn't take longer than about, say thirty minutes", he said.

Nodding, Six followed the Gunny's gesture to the room in the back. It was larger than he initially thought. There was a coffin shaped storage device, holding his new armor there. It was already painted blue. It was still a Scout helmet, but it had less angles on it. Maybe make it harder to grab? He thought. Next were the shoulders of the armor. One was in the grenadier style he liked. He usually used it to block fists, by shrugging his shoulder, it could easily catch one. The other shoulder held sniper rounds. It was more for looks than for actual use, but a few extra rounds could make the difference between life and death. The chest of the armor was thicker, bulkier than his current set. Mainly because it had much more ammo pouches. He realized the suit looked more akin to his older sabotage armor set. Made for storage of various tools more than anything else. I just realized I can hack portals, steer Supercruisers…. But a shower stumped me? He thought to himself. He wasn't planning on telling anyone that embarrassing fact.

Six stepped in the machine beside, one that quickly relieved him of his heavy armaments. It was multiple times faster than just his hands. Next, he waited with his arms spread wide as the Gunny began moving the heavy pieces one by one to the machine. Once all the pieces were on, the Gunny was going to start it before Six interrupted him.

"Is there a new gel suit?", he asked.

The Gunny looked at him and blinked. Then it clicked. "The inner lining? Yeah, I'll go grab it… I almost forgot about it", he said with a chuckle.

Gabriel kept his face clear, but he sighed to himself. He looked at Braxi in exasperation. She shrugged her shoulders and went back to eyeing the doors. Six could tell she was getting impatient. Being on a human ship probably unnerved her as much it did to him… a long time ago. Six knew most of the layouts for almost all the Corvette and Supercarrier class ships.

Hell, he had sent more than a few into fiery graves. Often just ramming them into each other and escaping in a Seraph. ONI had a field day when he flew one back to base. But now he felt uncomfortable in his own kind's ships. He couldn't understand why.

"Hey, how long does it take to make one of your sets, anyways?", he asked the Sangheili. She looked at him oddly, confusion on her face.

She considered the question. "I honestly don't know. I never met the ones who make them", she said. Six nodded, he could relate. He wished that he could, so he could give some feedback on what fails first on the system. Usually the HUD, in his experience. It could be fixed fairly easily, if you had the tools. But, he more often than not had to leave them behind so he could travel lighter.

Walking back into the room, the Gunny dragged a large gel suit behind him. It was a light blue color, with webbing running up and down it's length. Six was pleased at the prospect of a new inner layer. His current one was well-worn; the amount of heat it absorbed from plasma cutting its service time short. With his body free of the burden, he looked at both the occupants then decided it wouldn't matter if he changed in front of them both. Six had done it many times before others, as it wasn't usual for privacy to be a priority when preparing for battle.

He shed his outer layer, the gel sticking annoyingly to his skin as he pried it off. Braxt turned her head away, but he saw her eyes out of the corner of his vision. He heard the Gunny mutter something along the lines of 'Good god, man', before leaving the room.

Six quickly swapped the suits. Braxi had turned her head back to him halfway through, seeing he didn't care. Six stepped back into the machine and waited for the Gunny, who entered again a short time after. With the hit of a few buttons, the armoring machine buzzed to life and began the process of layering the armor on.

He grunted in satisfaction when the machine died down. Outside the odd pod like machine, the door opened. In stepped a high ranking officer Six did not recognize. He nodded at the Gunny, but spoke only to Six.

"We have an issue Spartan, if you would follow me", he said and turned on his heel. Six nodded towards Braxi and the pair followed the officer. His name tag read 'Trachis', Certainly an odd name, it sounds familiar Six thought.

He studied the man before him, obviously ONI. Six made sure Braxi was in his view, he gestured for her to move beside him instead of following him. If something were to happen… he shook his head, he knew he was growing paranoid. Something kept niggling at the back of his mind. Braxi let her hand brush the knuckles of his gloves. Through the steel, he felt comforted by the acknowledgment.

Six realized they were in a more deserted part of Cairo Station, and he could only speculate as to where they were being led. Through small corridors and countless turns, they wove their way through the underbelly of Cairo. As they walked, both Braxi and Six took note of the damage sustained before their fleet came to the UNSC's assistance. Six felt shame he wasn't in the thick of it.

The Officer stopped, "We're here. If you wouldn't mind, Sangheili, please wait outside", he said politely enough. Six stepped forward the door and the Officer hastily moved out the way, Braxi didn't follow him, and instead took a position outside on the edge of the door. Before Six was a ghost. Someone he had heard of, but had only seen once in his long combat career. Admiral Parangosky herself sat in the unassuming desk, in an unassuming office.

She stood, turning her icy gaze onto the Spartan. "You're finally here, Spartan. Osman told me you refused to return to service. I'll get straight to it. Chief has already left, as you should know. He reports he has found the Ark. And the flood", she told him. Six's breath caught and he felt a pressure build in his skull. Quickly, he dismissed the feelings. He remembered the flood. ONI had a few bad calls with them, and he was the one man clean up crew. It still made his skin itch.

Gabriel nodded, "The Ark?", he asked.

Admiral Parangosky nodded, Yes, and if the Prophet of Truth reaches the Ark, we lose. Spartan, we have everything to lose in this one fight. We are close, but we need you in this fight. You alone have the most experience dealing with the Flood. I need you to get to the Ark before anyone else, and clear it of the Flood", she told him. Six knew immediately she was going overboard in the request.

Gabriel thought about it for a second, "They need me down there, Ma'am. I can't go off and fight an entire Halo of Flood.", he told her with what he hoped was a stern voice. He was aghast at the blatant suicide mission.

Then her lip twitched," Then you should leave immediately,then go forwards to the Ark. work quick", she told him.

With that, he turned to walk away, "That's not all Spartan. We need you to report what happened on Reach", she stopped him.

Six turned towards her again, "It doesn't matter what happened on Reach. You already know everything", he said. This time, when she spoke, he ignored her in favor of walking away. Six would need to gear up, and he felt it would be better to do so quicker. Who knew when another Covenant fleet would threaten Earth? And how much longer could the civilians last before the onslaught of Brutes? 'Rodamee would inform us of an attack by the Covenant, if he knew. I may be able to request assistance down on the surface. Six thought as he exited and turned towards the direction of the arms room. Braxi again followed, and to his slight annoyance felt like she was being mute. "You've barely spoken a word, you ok?", he asked her, after they walked for a few minutes.

Braxi nodded. "I don't enjoy speaking here. Everyone looks at me odd", she told him. He understood, afterall it had happened to him when he first stayed with the Sangheili. The sense of being a specimen, a bug, clawed its way to the surface, he knew it was well founded among both species. War against each other would do that.

After another moment of silence, she spoke in Sangeheili "All these humans are so small, I knew Spartans were larger, but I didn't know it was to this extent", Braxi stated from his side. It was odd to him too, it had been some time since he had been in the company of so many. It nearly overwhelmed him when he thought about it more; thousands of lives were aboard this vessel. Not even a day ago, they faced near annihilation, but yet here they were continuing their lives. Again, Gabriel's thoughts turned to his old team.

We got the mission done. We gave the UNSC time to fight back. There may even be a chance of an alliance… I wish you were all here to see your sacrifice. Braxi nudged him when he stopped to think, his somber gaze stared towards nothingness. I suppose that's where they are… in nothingness. Ionized into the atmosphere, back to stardust Six thought.

Braxi nudged him again and the reverie was broken, his helmet turned towards her. "Sorry", he said simply. He shook his head and walked onwards, with Braxi easily keeping step.

"Where are we heading, anyways?", she asked him after a period of silence. It sometimes unnerved her how he would seemingly stop and stare at nothing. She witnessed a few older Sangheili doing the same, but she assumed it was for different reasons.

Six didn't look towards her at all, his head still swam with emotions he didn't want to digest, things better left buried. "The arms room, I need to get geared for the next mission", he told her. Soon, they would depart, and he didn't know how to broach the subject.

Braxi nodded, "Then I suppose we will part way after; your leaders would not support my tagging along", she beat him to the punch.

Gabriel kept walking, "Who knows? Your forces would be more than welcome down there on the surface. It would be a good place to start the alliance. By helping eradicate New Mombasa of the Covenant", Six told her.

She hummed for a small moment, "I will ready my teams. Will I see you down there?", Braxi asked her smaller companion.

Six had stopped walking at this point and centered himself on her larger frame, "I hope so. We'll have to see who can get more Brutes", he told her jokingly.

"I am more than open to such a challenge, I will see you down there then", she told him as she turned and walked towards the bay. She knew the way, Gabriel was hardly surprised, she was a Zealot Commander after all. Six watched her go until she rounded a corner and vanished from his sight. He walked onwards to the arms room, intent on ending his assignment as soon as possible, the Brutes would regret setting foot on his homeworld.

Long strides brought to the arms room in short order, there were several squads there readying themselves, and he wondered if he would be assigned to a squad or if he would just be tossed around to assist in different missions. ODST were crowding different weapon racks, and they parted before him to allow him to arm himself. Six grabbed the basics, frags, magazines, a battle rifle designated as the BR55. Then he nabbed a magnum with several mags, a finally his eyes turned towards the last sniper rifle available. An ODST had his hands on it before Six did, so he let him keep it. He knew what he himself was capable of, but not what the other soldier was. That thought process kept him humble, you never know how good a marksman is until the time comes.

"Are you going to sign anything out Spartan? Or are you just going to rob the place and leave me with the paperwork?", a marine spoke to him as he went to exit the room. He turned, a hand reaching to scratch his head.

He nodded, "They need me down there", Six told the marine.

The marine grinned, "In that case, why don't you go give them hell? Sound like a deal, son?", the older marine joked.

Six again nodded, "Of course, Sergeant", and with that he was out and on towards the medics. He was a super soldier, and he was a damn good medic. In his opinion, at least. If he could save a few lives, he would try his best. The medic supply room was close to the arms room, and it didn't take him long to be fully stocked with tourniquets, plasma burn wraps, ointments, painkillers, antibiotics, heavy rolls of gauze, pressure bandages, hemostatic bandages, and everything in between. His multiple cargo containers were nearly full to bursting, so he finally set off to the pods. Then he realized he didn't have a clue as to which pod he would take, or with what squad. Instead of overthinking, he went back into the arms room and sought out the ODST squad leaders.

Eyeing one, he approached the weathered soldier. "Sergeant, do you have any spare pods? I need a ride down to the surface", Six asked.

The sergeant put down the weapon he was inspecting, "We have a few empty ones", he grinned, "Wouldn't mind having a Spartan on the team at all".

Six nodded, "When do we drop?", he inquired.

The Sergeant's grin widened into a feral mask, "Excited, are we? We are too. We drop in ten", ending the conversation, the Sergeant turned to his men.

"Listen up fuckwits! We got a drop to meet! Get it moving!" The Sergeant took the Spartan's forearm and lifted it. "And we got a guest, so don't fuckin' embarass me! Team leaders, do your checks, we're moving out now". He laughed raucously, a halting laugh as if he couldn't men laughed with him, none harder than the privates, the new ones with fraying nerves. Six couldn't help but smile a little. Light hearted leaders that could settle their men's nerves with abusive humor were good. It would be an honor to fight with them.

Six waited for the ODST to file through the door, and he took up the rear. The armorer shouted a 'Give them hell, Spartan!' Before the door closed, and he felt his body tingle with slight adrenaline. He hated going into combat, but he loved being in the thick of it. He looked above the smaller human's heads, he counted the entire squad. Fourteen in total, one Squad leader, two team leaders, one officer. That left two teams of five. Among those, he saw one sniper apiece, a medic apiece, two riflemen per, and the last held BR55's. The abnormality he saw was that they had an extra medic in the squad. Usually, there were only a medic per platoon.

Must be a new one being taught the ropes by an older one Six thought. He let his mind wander in whatever direction he wanted, it was his own form of meditation. A mind must be clear before battle.

Together, the fifteen man squad strode through the bomb bay doors, twenty pods were set and ready to launch. Each ODST took their own pods, and Six took the nearest one. Idly, he noticed not a single word was said. Except for the orders given by the squad leader.

"We all know the drill. Keep your head screwed on, keep your eyes and ears open. The main assault is all but over, but we still have a job to do. Intelligence estimates there are still thousands of Brutes, more Drones nesting in the underground, and even more Grunts. We got a long work day ahead of us boys", he said.

After his announcement, the A.I system spoke. "Make sure all safety precautions are taken. Check your weapons are secured in the proper compartments, check your restraints, and most of all ODST, enjoy your flight", the A.I had a sarcastic ring to it. Instead of pondering it, Six closed his eyes and relaxed his body, starting with his toes, he worked up his legs, down his arms, his neck and then the hardest part; his face. He relaxed it and when his pod jerked and began accelerating towards the war ravaged metropolis miles below him, he struggled to maintain his calm composure.

His shuttle rattled as it reentered the atmosphere, shaking him and banging his helmet against the cushion behind him, he felt his pod suddenly decelerate and he knew his metal chute deployed. The ride got tougher, and he checked the vitals on his HUD. Everyone in his newfound squad was still alive, and he knew when they landed, at least one casualty was to be expected.

Six felt his coffin shake and jerk upwards yet again, and he knew he had breached the upper clouds. Staring through the vertical slant window, he spied the burning city of New Mombasa, and he eyed the crater left behind by the slipspace jump from the Prophet of Regret. That event was what made the defense of Earth harder; many squads were cut off from each other, with lack of communication and the blackout, many lone ODST were picked off one by one.

Gabriel sincerely hoped he was in time, it had been about sixteen hours since the assault had taken place, many fires still burnt, many ODST were MIA, and there were hopefully still civilians to rescue. Six hoped he had time to make a difference. With a final, and the greatest jolt, he knew he was feet on ground. He pushed the ejection, and his door flew open. Six jumped, and began scanning his sector. His HUD informed him the rest of the squad was still alive.

Six had a tingle run down his spine; he was alone. Except for the bloodied and mangled corpses of civilians dotting the darkening street. With a churning stomach, he reported over the squad comms, "Spartan up, waiting for rally point", he said.

"Contact! Twelve o'clock! Get on line Bravo team! Focus fire on that Chieftain!", came the response. He eyed the mini-map, he enlarged it and got his bearing. Six began sprinting through the mass of the dead. Slumped Sangheili lined some of the walls, none of the bodies were moved from their last positions, to Six's eyes, he saw some were gnawed on. His stomach churned with a burning rage and his stride redoubled.

"I'm moving on your position, we'll pincer them", he said as he rounded the corner. Before him, a block down, he eyed the firefight. In the setting sun, the majority of the squad was laying suppressive fire on the team of Brutes. He saw them readying themselves to rush the humans, using speed and strength against the tactically inclined foe. Before they could, he rushed into the fray. With a few bursts, two of the lower Brutes were done for, holes in their skulls. The bloodied Chieftain turned, Gravity Hammer in hand and forgot about the ODST that had wounded him.

With a bestial snarl, the Chieftain rushed Six even as his own shot Spiker rounds all around. Six kept advancing, his rifle in the pocket of his shoulder, round after round hit the Brute, not seeming to affect the muscled tank. With an overhand swing, the Chieftain brought the hammer down like an axe, and Six took careful measure to avoid the impact area. Before the Chief could lift his hammer again, Six drove the buttstock into the Brute's monstrous face. A few rounds hit his shielding and he realized his mistake. He made distance and kept the Chief in between himself and the lower Brutes.

Behind the hulking figure, Six was satisfied to see the ODST pressuring the Brutes effectively, they had already wiped out more than half the enemy, all while Six kept the attention of the Chieftain. The Chief again lifted his hammer and jumped towards Six, in response, he rolled away and sat into a crouch. He lifted a mag into his battle rifle and sent another volley into the Brute. Finally, he was making a dent. The Brute halted and Six knew it was his chance, he ran towards the Brute, dodging the wild swing as he dropped his rifle and jumped up and hooked himself around the Brutes stocky neck. With a sickening twist, he snapped the beast's head, but didn't stop until it was gruesomely facing the opposite direction. A few more rounds pinged off his shielding, and he rolled towards his fallen rifle. This time, without stopping, he continued into a dead sprint into cover.

From behind cover, he took stock of his ammo, and his HUD. No casualties yet, and his reserves were still nearly full. He was still at around three hundred and sixty rounds. His motion sensor alerted him that a Brute was close on him, right over his cover, he stood immediately and stepped back, the young Brute was a few paces before him, at an offset angle. He lifted his rifle and was about to shoot, when a shot rang out. It was the sniper that he had let the ODST grab. The shot landed perfectly, in the nape of the Brutes neck. Destroying it's spinal cord and the throat. It died immediately. Six lowered rifle and turned his comms on.

"Good shot", he complimented simply. He saw the far away figure shrug and lift a hand into a thumbs up gesture.

Then his HUD showed the squad leader light up. "TL's, report. Full LACE, liquids, ammo, casualties, equipment. How are we doing?", he asked his team leaders.

In common fashion, Six witnessed as the men were patted, asked about their gear and everything else. With all settled, the Squad Leader turned to Six.

"Good work, Spartan. I appreciate the help", he said. Six nodded and turned his head when he heard a shout.

"Hey, Morris, we got a wound over here. Not life threatening, but definitely combat ineffective", one of the team leaders reported in.

The named man, Morris, looked towards his TL, and walked over to inspect the private. "Where are you hit, son?", he asked calmly.

Grunting, the Helljumper stood to his feet. "I'm fine, Sarge. My armor tanked the brunt of it", he told his squad leader.

Nodding his head in the negative, Morris bent at the knee and nudged the wound. When the private sucked in a breath of pain, he grunted. "We'll set up a CCP, get you back to Cairo. That will slow you down, no doubt", he told the private. He stepped back as the medic bent down to check the wound.

"Not so fast, Sergeant. I might be able to do something. Just one big splinter", the medic dragged out the 'might' to accentuate the uncertainty.

"Well, get to work, Smith", he said and backed away. The medic idly acknowledged the Squad Leader as he set to work. The private sat still, propped against the wall in the darkening street. The medic sighed, annoyed, and looked around.

"I need a light over here", he said and looked at any volunteers. He was idly surprised when the Spartan stepped up.

"I have a light on my helmet, I have you covered", he said as he positioned himself on the other side of the private, enough distance to let the medic work, but close enough for his light to be effective.

The medic sent his gaze sideways for a second, "I saw you grabbing some supplies from the medic room, got any experience?", he asked the Spartan. His flashlight made his azure armor glint in the setting sun.

"Yes, I've been through the classes, but I have little experience putting it into actual practice", he told the medic.

The medic stopped for a moment, "Hold this bandage here, I need to grab my scissors", he ordered the Spartan. Six complied easily enough, the bandage wrapped around the ODST's chest, keeping pressure on the biofoam inside his deep wound. The private's breathing eased as the biofoam took effect. The painkilling medicine inside it aided in most of the reprieve. As Six thought that, the medic finished cutting and tying off the bandage.

"Alright, you should be good for a few more hours. If anything happens to the wound, tell me or the other medic. Other than that, on your feet soldier", he grasped the Private's hand and hauled him to his feet.

Six stood from his crouch, and looked towards the other squad members, everyone was standing, looking out for threats that could creep up on them.

His comms crackled, "Spartan, you're needed at the ONI base. Covenant forces have been assaulting it for the past few hours. Leave the ODST to their own objective and proceed alone", his comms crackled again and his HUD updated to show him the direction to head in. Six had no idea the owner of the voice, but decided it would be best to comply.

"I have a new mission. If I can, I'll link back up with you", he told the squad leader who acquiesced silently.

With that, Six broke into an easy jog as he ran through the ransacked, burning pyre of New Mombasa. ODST drop pods littered the streets at odd intervals, in alleyways, he spotted gunned down squads of Sangheili, he assumed they were betrayed by the spikes littering their corpses. The sun had set, and the flickering flames danced across his armor as he ran. He dodged what squads he could, looking to conserve ammo until resupply.

Six's map dictated he was still a few miles away from his objective, and connecting to the defender's comms, he redoubled his pace. Breaking into a run, he made it in a short period. Barely winded, he got to work. Before the Brutes and the Grunts could do much of anything, he began breaking their chain of command. There were close to fifty brutes, and more than triple the number. The small army easily outnumbered the small group of humans, stalwartly defending the base. He eyed more ODST on top the parapets.

Six sighted in the on the largest threat, another Chieftain sporting a flared red helm, one that reminded him of Braxi. He began picking away at its armor, burst after burst. With the shielding down, he advanced and threw a plasma grenade with deadly accuracy. It stuck to its chest, even as the Brute snarled in defiance, the 'nade blew.

Looking past the burning cavity that remained of it's chest, he sprinted from cover to cover, advancing on the now pinched Brutes. Working his way into the thick of it, he rolled a frag grenade in the midst of a squad of Brutes. Too intent on the foe before them, they missed the deadly weapon at their feet. With a crash, the explosion leapt out and lashed at them. Six was there, in the smoke with his rifle held high. Bullets digging themselves greedily in their skin, he aimed for their eyes.

One of their numbers used the bottom of the Spiker to slash Six. He leapt back, mag dumping the ape like alien in near point blank range. It's ogre like face fell into a mush of ground meat, pulverized by the volley of rounds. Looking around, he spied his handiwork. Seven of the monstrous aliens lay about in heaps. Seven out of at least a hundred. It's going be a long day Six thought humorlessly to himself.

He spied a heavy machine gun at the top of the parapet, unmanned. Annoyed, he got on comms. "Get me a man on that HMG, I'll distract them", he ordered the ODST.

"That's nigh suicide, Spartan", a rough voice resounded in his comms.

Six grunted, "May as well be suicide if we let these Brutes work us down", he countered.

He heard the voice again, "Fair 'nuff. Rookie, get on that machine gun. Spartan'll cover you" he heard the leader order his man.

With the situation a little easier, he eyed his next bunch to work on. It was larger than the back group, more than double the Brutes, and Grunts. He had a stupid idea, out of grenades, and underarmored to deal with the large group, he had the urge to center the turrets aim to the group.

"Gunner, have somebody focus fire on the nearest enemies. Center the HMG on the group thirty meters to my eight o'clock", he told the ODST.

"Affirmative, Spartan", was his confirmation. With the heavy rounds, he leapt up to his full height, and sprinted at the group. None noticed him until he was on top of them, midway through the run, he picked up a dropped Gravity Hammer. His BR55 holstered, he was certain he could wreak havoc in their ranks. With a leap similar to the Chieftain's, he jumped high into the air and brought the hammer down on the closest Brute.

Its sheer destructive power destroyed the head of one, and he pivoted on his feet, swinging with his arms locked out, he rounded it into the chest of another. The weight of the hammer nearly threw him off of his feet. Now noticed, the other Brutes stood to engage him. With some stood, the HMG cut into them, they crouched down again to avoid the withering fire.

Six took the initiative, again hefting the unwieldy weapon, he ran into their midst again, swinging with all his might. The resounding thud of the impact, he tore through their ranks. Hitting kneecaps, skulls, chests, and ribs. He wasn't too particular. With his breath lost, he dropped the hammer and drew his rifle. Once azure armor was covered in the sticky, mucous like blood of the Jiralhanae. The grunts were an afterthought, easily dispatched as he went on his one man rampage.

Looking forwards, he eyed the enemy still heavily outnumbered them. 'I can't do that stunt again, I need to conserve my strength' debated to himself the best way to deal with the huge number of enemies. Even as Spiker rounds glanced off his cover, he peeked over the top and returned fire. The HMG was doing solid work, the ODST's marksmanship was decent, but he could only do so much. Plasma burns had turned it's singular armor plating into slag, and it was impressive the weapon was even functioning.

His comms lit up again as a Phantom flew overhead. "We got Covvie reinforcements! Everyone, pull inside. Rookie, get off that MG!", he hollered over the comms.

Six sucked in a breath of exasperation, annoyed at the numbers of the enemy.

"Need assistance, Spartan?", he was more surprised at the question than anything.

He eyed the Phantom, realizing it did look different than the usual. "Braxi?", he asked.

"Yes, with my team of Zealots. We're deploying on your side, tell the humans in the building to hold fire", she told him.

Delighted at the reliable new source of fighting strength, he again leapt to his feet and pushed the Brutes. Behind him, twenty Zealots led by Braxi in her full battle dress reared their heads in challenge, some with plasma rifles, and some with energy swords all advanced on the enemy. Intent on repaying for their treachery.

Six nodded as the Sangheili got on line with him, he saw Braxi had her energy sword in her right hand, and her plasma rifle in her left. She smiled at him as she led the charge. In unison, the Sangheili threw plasma grenades to soften their enemy. Then as one unstoppable force, they savagely fell on the Brutes. Six did little besides provide covering fire to keep the other groups of Brutes off the skilled warriors.

"ODST in the building, you can come out now. We have back up", he told the ones who retreated into the building.

His comms cracked back on, "It's Buck by the way. And are those Elites on our side?", he said in disbelief. Gabriel wondered if 'Buck' had ever seen so many Zealots in one battle, or any at all.

"Affirmative, they're on our side. Focus your fire on your left side, occupy them as we work through this group", he told Buck.

"Happy to, Spartan", Buck resounded.

Side by side with his new teammates, Six went to work with them. With twenty strong Zealots, they made quick work of the unskilled Brutes. Strong, yes, strategic and team oriented, no. The Brutes were easy when you had communication.

A wort wort wort sounded near him, "You fight well, human!" The praise came from what he believed was Daga. He looked around for a second, not a single Zealot had fallen yet, but they had collectively slain easily more than a hundred Jiralhanae and more double the amount of Unggoy.

The previously abandoned MG began sounding off again, in within minutes, the rest of the force of Unggoy and Jiralhanae were dealt with. Six looked at Braxi with appreciation shining in his eyes.

"Thanks. You're team fights well", he said as he looked towards Braxi.

Her chest swelled with pride, "My warriors are the best of the warrior clans of Sanghelios!", she boasted with spread mandibles.

Behind her, her men shouted in Sangheili clan names, and battle cries. More than a few sounded out a few wort wort wort to Six's amusement. Even though he knew what it meant, it still brought amusement to the otherwise dark and serious day. He eyed himself, covered in the gore of his enemy. He was going to stink soon enough.

With the enemy force dealt with, he looked again to Braxi. "Ready to meet the ODST?", he posed the question.

She nodded towards her men, and with a shout, they were gathered and ready to move.

"Let us march forward and rip victory out of our enemy's grasp!". Six, in the middle of the pack, stepped forward. He felt narcissistic to think so, but he felt more comfortable with allies more along his strength. They moved forward. ONI wouldn't like Sangheili in the ONI base…. 'Fuck it'. Six shrugged.